The History of Us
by An Absent Author
Summary: By Daisy Gamgee. The story of the lives of Merry and Pippin, and how everything changes with time. "'Here,' he said finally, smiling into Pippin's wide green eyes. 'Lie down next to me and I'll tell you a story.'" Nominated for the 2003 Methril Awards.
1. Book 1 Chapter 1 Commencement

**The History of Us by Daisy Gamgee**

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**Summary: The story of the lives of Merry and Pippin, and how everything changes with time. "'Here,' he said finally, smiling into Pippin's wide green eyes. 'Lie down next to me and I'll tell you a story.'" Nominated for the 2003 Methril Awards.  
**

**Disclaimer: Merry and Pippin are both property of Tolkien, who did the world a great favour when he created them. No offence or infringement is intended to Tolkien's (or Peter Jackson's) vision.**

**Publishers Notes: This story has been reposted under the collection 'An Absent Author' by the requests of readers, as this story has become available only by limited sources to be downloaded, and has been published to be read online here with permission of the author.**

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**Book I **

**Chapter 1****: Commencement****

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"Meriadoc! Merry! Come see the baby!"

The little boy frowned and set another block on the tall tower he was making. He thought it looked like a gigantic branchless tree, or something weird and impossible out of Old Bilbo's stories. A building this tall would surely fall over, though, and no hobbit would ever want to sleep in it.

Pervinca plopped down next to him, shaking the tower and making it tumble. "Oops. Come on. You should see the baby now while Pearl's not so very cross." She took Merry's hand and stood, tugging him upwards.

He kicked at the remains of the tower, hrmphed, and jumped to his feet. He'd been afraid of Pearl as long as he could remember; she always looked at him as though he were a nasty little bug amongst the flowers. If it weren't for Vinca and her permanent smile, he shouldn't want to visit these bothersome Took cousins at all.

And he did want to see the new baby, born just yesterday morning, so he smiled and gripped Vinca's hand. "Is it another girl? Girls are okay, I guess. What's her name?"

Vinca laughed and led him down the hall. "No, silly, it's a boy this time. The way Da's carrying on, you'd think he was made of Old Mad Baggins's gold. What a lot of bother over such a little bean." Vinca rolled her eyes and smiled at Merry. "But he's the beautifullest boy baby I ever saw."

Merry could hear the baby's wails through the door of the nursery, and the noise when the door was opened was thrice magnified. The cradle in the center of the room was rocking from the force of the infant's furious flailing. Pearl stood over the cradle, making impatient shushing noises to no avail, frustrated and scowling.

"What'd you bring that Brandybuck in for?" she asked her younger sister irritably. "I'm trying to get the baby to sleep."

"Well, it ain't working. Mum said he can see the baby, and she's still the boss, Pearl, not you." Vinca stuck out her tongue defiantly.

Merry shrank back at Vinca's shoulder, afraid of Pearl's wrath, but she only frowned and gestured them over. Merry peeped over the edge of the cradle. The baby was no bigger than a half-grown cat, with a head of light brown curls, sweaty from the effort of his cries.

"Oi, baby," Merry told him. "Stop fussing so. That's too much noise for a wee pother like you."

The baby quieted, looking up at the source of the voice as best he could, hiccupping but not crying. His newborn-blue eyes were flooded with tears and his cheeks were red as ripe apples. Vinca was right, Merry decided. This was the beautifullest boy baby he ever saw. "That's better," he told him, and smiled.  
Pearl was dumbfounded. "How did you do that?" she asked her cousin. "He's been crying since he woke up." She gave Merry a small smile.

"I just told him to stop, is all. Can I hold him? Can I?" He was emboldened by Pearl's approval and danced in a little circle, clapping his hands.

Pearl considered his request. "Well. All right, then. Go sit in the big chair." She lifted the baby out of the cradle and set him in Merry's arms, showing him how to support the head and behind. "Now don't you drop him."

"Oh, Pearl, everybody knows not to drop a baby," Merry answered, and looked closely at the bundle in his arms. "Hullo, boy." He counted the baby's tiny fingers, compared them to his own, and nodded, satisfied that he had the right number. "What's his name?"

"Peregrin," Vinca answered, smiling at the picture that Merry and the baby presented.

Merry wrinkled up his nose. "That's a silly name." He took note of the baby's button nose and impossibly small, barely pointed ears; the infant's skin was pink and as soft as goose down feathers. "I like him," Merry pronounced. "He's a good baby."

Pearl smiled, wrinkling her brow, mildly amazed. "He likes you, too. Quietest he's been since he was born. Here, then."

Merry handed him over reluctantly, pouting, and Pearl took him back to his cradle. As soon as the baby's back touched the mattress, he wound up his face and wailed.

"Botheration!" Pearl cried in exasperation. "Now what?"

"He doesn't like to be by himself," Merry said, slipping off the big chair. He walked over to the cradle, pushed over a footstool to stand on, and looked in; he offered the baby his finger to hold. "Hush, now." And the baby did, content again, Merry's finger tight in his grip. Merry laughed happily as the baby kicked at his blankets.

Pearl crossed her arms, perplexed. "Maybe you should stay here for a minute, until he's asleep." She frowned and tilted her head, trying to figure out what calming powers this pesky little Brandybuck whirlwind of a boy could possibly have.

"Yay!" Merry agreed. "Hear that, baby? I'm staying with you for a bit." He looked thoughtfully down into the cradle. "His name is too fussy for him. We should change it."

"We can't do that," Vinca told him, amused. "That's Mum and Da's name for him. They get to choose." She smiled in response to his frown. "Don't worry. He'll get tagged with a nickname soon enough, with all these relations about."

"Pip," Merry said with a firm nod. "I'll call him Pip. Or maybe Pippin." He smiled, satisfied. "That's it, then. Hullo, Pippin," he said into the cradle.  
It was Pearl's turn to wrinkle her nose. "Where did you get that?"

"Cause he's so small," Merry answered. "And noisy. Like a songbird. And sweet like an apple. The baby likes it fine. See? He's sleeping."

Pearl and Vinca peered into the cradle to see a peacefully sleeping newborn, still clinging to Merry's finger, then looked up at the little boy's glowing face. Pearl felt a cold, hard twinge in her heart, knowing she'd just witnessed a bonding so complete that there was no room left for an older sister's dreams.

"Merry! Come along, son, you can't idle all day." Merry's mother opened the door and smiled. "Let the baby sleep, sweetheart." She held out her hand to him.

"Oh, pooh," Merry muttered, then gently worked his finger loose from the baby's grasp. He leaned into the crib and kissed the downy soft brow. "I love you, Pippin," he whispered, and hopped off the footstool with a happy bounce to join his mother.

"Well, I'll be tied," said Vinca as he skipped away.


	2. Book 1 Chapter 2 Tour Petit

**The History of Us by Daisy Gamgee**

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**Summary: The story of the lives of Merry and Pippin, and how everything changes with time. "'Here,' he said finally, smiling into Pippin's wide green eyes. 'Lie down next to me and I'll tell you a story.'" Nominated for the 2003 Methril Awards.  
**

**Disclaimer: Merry and Pippin are both property of Tolkien, who did the world a great favour when he created them. No offence or infringement is intended to Tolkien's (or Peter Jackson's) vision.**

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**Book I **

**Chapter 2: Tout Petit****

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**

"How comes we're tired and he isn't?"

"'Cause he's a botheration," Pervinca replied, crossing her arms. "Let's see how long it takes him to wind down."

"We'll be here all day!" Merry exclaimed. "I'll miss my supper!" He stomped his foot near his cousin's toes; Vinca moved her feet up to the bench and stuck her tongue out at him.

"Pearl said wear him out," Vinca reminded Merry. He tugged on her thick amber braid, trying to pull the ribbon loose. She slapped his hand. "Quit."

Merry stuck his tongue out at Vinca in return. "Since when do you do what Pearl says?"

"Since never, because she told you." Vinca poked Merry hard in the ribs, then pulled his right suspender strap off his shoulder.

Merry kicked at her in reprisal, then looked around. "Hey, where'd he go?" He jumped up, looking around and slipping his strap back into position, then smiled and ran to the nearest tree. "I know you're back there!" he called out, dancing in place.

A flurry of giggles was his answer, and he swooped down and picked up the little hobbit hiding behind the trunk. The toddler shrieked joyfully and threw his arms around Merry, sitting on his hip, grinning and clapping his hands.

Merry wagged a scolding finger at him. "You stay where I can see you, Pippin," he chided, then laughed when Pippin mimicked his pointing finger and stern face. "Come on, let's go pester Vinca some more." He spun around a few times on his way back to the garden bench, and Pippin clutched his shoulders and squealed in delight.

"You never spin me," Vinca pouted, throwing leaves at him.

"You're too big," Merry responded. "And you throw up too easy." He plopped back down on the bench next to Vinca, Pippin in his lap.

"Oh, yeah," she said. "Hey, Pippin, say my name."

"No!" Pippin replied happily. "No, no, no, no!" He bounced with each no, shaking his curly head and laughing with Merry.

"Did you tell him to say that?" Vinca punched Merry's shoulder.

Merry shook his head. "But he would've if I'd asked him to, wouldn't you, Pip?" He touched his nose to Pippin's.

Pippin patted his cheeks. "Merry!"

"Oi! Did you hear that?" Merry crowed. "He said my name."

"Mmmph," Vinca scowled, and looked closely at her baby brother. "Say 'Vinca.'"

"Merry!"

Merry had to cover his mouth with his hand to keep from laughing too hard. He didn't really want Vinca's feelings to be hurt; she was his best friend, after all. "Lookit," he told Pippin, trying to be serious. "Say 'Vinca.' "Ving-ka.' It's not hard. You can do it."

Pippin screwed up his face. "Binka." He smiled wide, knowing he'd pleased Merry.

"Good boy!" Merry hugged him tight and patted his back, chuckling when he felt his baby cousin's chubby hands pat his shoulders in response.

"Aw, you're all soft on the little pest," Vinca complained. Merry pulled her braid and managed to undo the ribbon this time; he tied it around his wrist with a triumphant "Ha!"

Vinca yanked his blond curls hard and reached for the ribbon; Merry pulled his hand away defiantly. Pippin took the ribbon from Merry's wrist and stuffed it into his mouth, chewing and drooling on it.

"No, don't eat that," Merry said, taking the ribbon and stuffing it into his pocket. "Do you have a tooth coming in?" He looked concernedly at Pippin's teeth.

Vinca rolled her eyes. "Yuck. Give him here and go see if supper's ready." She reached for the baby with a supplicating smile. "I'd go but I'm about to faint from hunger."

Merry snorted. "Oh, all right, you lazy turnip." He set Pippin on Vinca's lap and stood, dodging Vinca's last unsuccessful grab for her ribbon.

"No!" Pippin cried. He smacked Vinca's chest and squirmed, holding his arms out. "Merry!" His green eyes teared over and he pouted, getting ready for a wail. "Merry!"

Merry sighed, then skrinkled up his nose and crossed his eyes. Pippin laughed joyfully, tears forgotten, and struggled hard against Vinca's efforts to keep him in her arms.

"I give up," Vinca pronounced, and handed her brother back to her cousin. "You can change his nasty diaper, then."

Pippin smiled in triumph and clutched Merry's tunic as Vinca skipped off to the kitchen.

Merry contemplated the damp toddler in his arms. "Eeuw," he said. "C'mon, Pip." He set Pippin on his feet and took his hand, engulfing the small palm in his own. "Let's go find you some dry breeches."

Pippin hugged Merry's knees hard. "My Merry," he said happily, and trotted after his cousin into the house.


End file.
